George Binoy and Travis Basevi dig into our stats database

Subcontinent stalwarts

Some statistics, like Bradman's average and the number of centuries Tendulkar has made are known to pretty much every cricket buff. But The List will bring you facts and figures that aren't so obvious, adding fuel to those fiery debates about the most valuable middle-order bat, and the most useless tailender. If there's a particular List that you would like to see, e-mail us with your comments and suggestions.

Touring India poses myriad challenges for visiting players. The weather is hot and humid, the food spicy, the pitches spinner-friendly, and the crowds vociferously cheer the home side. The List features overseas players who rose to the occasion and starred in India.

For those who watched Andy Flower's tours of India, it's no surprise that he tops the batting averages with a staggering 117.14. In fact his average was halved by ordinary scores in his last two Tests. After his first three Tests, Flower had one double-century, two centuries, and three fifties at an average of 239.

Given how good Indian batsmen are at playing spin and their susceptibility against pace, visiting fast bowlers have fared far better than spinners on Indian pitches. Richie Benaud is the only spinner in the top ten bowling averages and Saqlain Mushtaq, who began his Indian experience with four consecutive five-fors in 1999, is at No.11. However, two spinners, Benaud and Derek Underwood , are the only visiting bowlers to have taken over 50 wickets in India.